SEBASTOPOL, CA--(Marketwired - Jun 17, 2014) - Maker Faire continues to inspire makers and communities around the world and act as a catalyst for the maker movement. On Wednesday, June 18, President Obama is hosting the first-ever White House Maker Faire. This one-day event will include a select group of makers at the White House who will share their projects with the President and talk with him about how making has shaped their lives. On the same day, there will be a "Day of Making" where the global community will be asked to celebrate the students, entrepreneurs, and hobbyist makers who are reinventing America, and the world's future, by holding maker activities in their community. Together with the White House, Maker Media is asking makers around the globe to shine the spotlight on their accomplishments by sharing their making activities and connecting with other makers on Twitter by using #NationOfMakers.

"The maker movement encourages people to discover the maker in themselves, and to seek out other makers in their communities. Technology is making it easier for all makers to make things and share their projects with others. They are using this technology to create new kinds of products and drive innovation," said Dale Dougherty, CEO of Maker Media and founder of Make: magazine and Maker Faire. "Making is local and makerspaces provide access to tools and expertise in the community. We can do more to develop makerspaces in place such as schools, libraries, museums, and community centers to provide access to more people, especially our youth. We see educators and parents inspired by the maker movement to provide hands-on learning experiences for children. We also expect that new and better ways for makers to collaborate with each other will accelerate, turning new ideas into products and bringing them to market. We are thrilled that the White House is hosting a Maker Faire to celebrate the impact of the maker movement in this nation and beyond to the rest of the world."

The number of Maker Faire events continues to grow and expand around the world each year. In 2013 there were 100 Maker Faire events around the world. Twenty-fourteen is the breakout "Year of the Maker" as a result of the tremendous growth of the maker movement. There are 140 Faires already scheduled globally this year; makerspaces are expanding and emerging in cities everywhere; new tools and platforms are being developed to support collaboration; and new, accessible production opportunities are making it easier for people to make things. These things are all incredible proof points of the strength of maker movement.

Day of Making -- Wednesday, June 18, 2014

To amplify and encourage making and what will be happening at the White House Maker Faire, June 18, 2014, will be a "Day of Making." Those interested in participating can do so via the following opportunities:

Tweet using the #NationOfMakers hashtag to tell fellow makers and others in their community what making activities they are doing. Makers can also include their city and state to be included on the #NationofMakers map.

Take the "Building Maker Communities" pledge athttp://www.makerfaire.com/whitehouse. Makers can read the pledge letter from Dale Dougherty, founder of Maker Faire, and pledge their support of the maker movement, becoming an advocate for making in their community on this Day of Making and into the future.

Post photos of a current maker project -- as part of the pledge or via social media -- they are working on or a new project they'll be starting. Fun and creative projects ideas can be found on a variety of websites for makers such as MAKE: magazine.

Host an open house or Maker Meetup at a local makerspace or set up a hangout online to connect and collaborate with makers across the country.

Volunteer to be a mentor for someone who is interested in learning a new skill or find a mentor who would be interested in teaching them new skills.

Create a project and share the plans for it online through maker platforms so others can also make, modify, or remix the project.

Organize a maker roundtable to identify and convene maker thought leaders in their community on expanding making initiatives, programs, and activities in their neighborhood.

Organizations or companies can encourage employees to volunteer as educators and/or mentors to host maker-oriented workshops or classes in their communities.

In conjunction with the White House Maker Faire and the Day of Making, Maker Media will be hosting these events one day prior:

Maker Summit -- Tuesday, June 17; 2:00 pm to 5:30 pm; TechShop, Arlington, VAThis one-day Summit will highlight the present and future impact of the maker movement in the US and beyond. Maker Media will be releasing a Maker Impacts Report produced with Deloitte Center for the Edge. The report studies the potential long-term impacts of the maker movement on education, manufacturing, innovation, retail, and government. This study will be available online for review at a later date.

Following the Maker Summit, Maker Media will host a reception for government, business, and educational leaders to meet some of the makers who are participating in the White House Maker Faire.

The Maker Summit is sponsored by Intel, Trimble, and The Makership Project. TechShop is the Host Sponsor.

About Maker FaireMaker Faire is the Greatest Show (and Tell) on Earth -- a family-friendly showcase of invention, creativity, and resourcefulness, and a celebration of the Maker Movement. It's a place where people of all ages and backgrounds gather together to show what they are making and share what they are learning.

Maker Faire celebrated 100 Faires in 2013 alone and has reached over 1.5 million attendees globally since it launched in San Mateo, California, in 2006, less than a year after the publication its "parent," MAKE Magazine, which launched in 2005. The ninth annual Maker Faire Bay Area welcomed some 1,100 makers entries and over 130,000 attendees. World Maker Faire New York, the other flagship event, has grown in four years to 600+ makers and 75,000 attendees. Detroit, Kansas City, Rome, Paris, Oslo, Trondheim, Newcastle (UK), Orlando, Silver Spring, Atlanta, Milwaukee, Tokyo and Shenzhen host our "featured" Maker Faires (200+ makers), host our "featured" Maker Faires (200+ makers), and community-driven, independently organized Mini Maker Faires inspire and ignite creative communities everywhere around the United States and internationally.

Located in Sebastopol and Oakland, California, Maker Media has been widely credited with jumpstarting the worldwide Maker Movement, which has been a transforming force in innovation, culture, and education. In addition to publishing MAKE Magazine and producing Maker Faire, Maker Media develops "getting started" kits and books it sells through its Maker Shed store as well as other retail channels.